NFL-Chiefs' game will be played as scheduled, team says

Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher this morning on December 1, 2012, shot and killed his girlfriend before going to Arrowhead Stadium and fatally shooting himself as team personnel tried to stop him, police said. In this December 11, 2011, file photo Kansas City Chiefs inside linebacker Jovan Belcher (59) is shown during the NFL game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. ((Chris Szagola/Cal Sport Media/Zuma Press/MCT))

The Kansas City Chiefs' NFL game against the visiting Carolina Panthers will be played as scheduled on Sunday despite the deaths of their linebacker Jovan Belcher and his girlfriend, the team said on Saturday.

The 25-year-old Belcher shot Kassandra Perkins at their home on Saturday morning, then drove to the team's training facility near Arrowhead Stadium and turned the gun on himself, police said.

"After discussions between the league office, Head Coach Romeo Crennel and Chiefs team captains, the Chiefs advised the NFL that it will play tomorrow's game vs. the Carolina Panthers at its originally scheduled time," the Chiefs said in a statement.

The game, matching the 1-10 Chiefs and 3-8 Panthers, is scheduled to start at 1 p.m Eastern time (1800 GMT). (Reporting by Gene Cherry in Salvo, North Carolina; Editing by Ken Ferris)